Individuation is a process of intensely personal
self-discovery. It may be initiated at
any time, typically at a mature stage of life when one has the opportunity and
experience behind them to evaluate and question one’s transpersonal place in
the universe. It is a process that may
have many levels of depth as self-deceiving layers are identified and peeled
back to gain insights into who someone truly is and who he or she feels they
are meant to be. As a process of
examining one’s place in the world and one’s interactions with oneself and others,
it is not something that can be directed or provided as a formula. Each person must follow his or her own path
and come to his or her own conclusions.
It is an iterative process, with each level of discovery potentially
launching a new round of inquiry and building up a sense of self understanding
that increases self-actualization. It is
a process that once started, does not end as understanding only continues to
deepen as further self discoveries are made.
More than introspection, it starts with an effort to
understand oneself and proceeds to explore soul purpose or place in the
world. It is an umbrella term to
describe the effort to answer the questions “Who am I?” and “Why am I
here?” By its nature, individuation is a
personal quest that not only will be a different process for each individual,
but also will yield completely unique results.
It is not a taxonomy of traits or a personality analysis, but rather an
exploration and celebration of the individual that each of us is.
Self-actualization may be a measure of how comprehensive a
person has individuated, but even that is a stretch as I do not think that
there is a comparative scale. The idea
of comparing degrees of individuation would challenge the individuality of the
process. Even without a conscious effort
to seek it, I believe that everyone individuates to the degree that they are
driven to do so. For some, this may be
very little and they may enjoy a contented perspective of themselves and their
role with little or no need to drill down into the matter. For others, they may be restless to discover
answers to questions about themselves that are not immediately obvious or
necessarily answerable.
Hypnotherapy, particularly Integrated Imagery Regression
Hypnosis can help start or deepen a journey on the path of individuation. You remain in control at all times as the
hypnotherapist facilitates your access to your own subconscious. Meanwhile, Handwriting analysis is a way of
checking in with your subconscious. Not
what you write, but how you form the letters and place them on the page are
direct ideomotor indicators of subconscious traits, feelings and concerns that
can help situate you on the individuation road.
References
Kappas, J.G. (2009). Professional hypnotism manual: Introducing physical and emotional
suggestibility and sexuality (5th Ed.). Tarzana, CA: Panorama
Publishing Company.
The Centre of Applied Jungian Studies. (n.d.). The
conscious living programme: Individuation. Johannesburg, South Africa:
Author.
